Pakistan government today repatriated 218 Indian fishermen through the border here, two days after their release from jails as a goodwill gesture.
All the prisoners crossed over to India around 1.00 AM through the land transit route of Attari (Indian side) – Wagah (Pakistan side) border on the basis of ‘Emergency Travel Certificates’ issued by the Indian High Commission at Islamabad, a BSF spokesman said.
Pakistan had announced their release on Thursday bringing the total number of Indian fishermen freed from Pakistani jails as “goodwill gesture” in the last 12 days to 439, despite the chill in bilateral ties.
They were arrested a year ago when their boasts slipped into Pakistan through territorial waters in Arabian Sea. They were caught by the Pakistani coast guards on the charge of illegal fishing while violating its territorial waters.